Sleeping Beauty
by vuarapuung
Summary: Ash finally realises his feelings for Misty only to find it may be too late. But he has a plan...


**Disclaimer:**** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Game Freak and Nintendo. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**

_**Sleeping Beauty**_

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

I'd had it all planned out. I was going to sweep into her gym, take her in my arms and tell her everything. At least, I think that was my plan. It'd taken me a week to get there, so I had plenty of time to think about it. I suppose even as I burst in to the gym I wasn't sure about it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe I should start from the start.

It was the final round of the Sinnoh Championships, and I was on top of the world. I'd just won the final! Pikachu and I raised the trophy high and proud, and the whole place went wild for us. Then, Brock and Dawn had come over to congratulate me.

First, Brock had seemed a little edgy, but he shook my hand and patted me on the back, then made some excuse about seeing a Nurse Joy. That just left Dawn, who was starring at me funnily. Then she was all over me.

She kissed me!

At first I didn't know what to do. I mean, I wasn't exactly experienced at this sort of thing. But then something in me just clicked. It was as if I realised who _should_ have been kissing me. Then, I just shoved her back, and ran.

I'm not saying it was the smartest thing I've ever done, but at the time it seemed so. Maybe I should have stayed to explain things to her, rather than leaving her standing there in a stadium full of people.

Next thing I was on a boat home. I spent the entire time at the front of the ship, fidgeting incessantly and trying to work out a plan in my own head. And every few minutes someone would come over and say, "Hey, you're that boy who won the regional championships!" and then either they would ask for an autograph, some hints or a date. I hastily scrawled on a bit of paper for the first one, muttered something about respect for your Pokemon for the second, then politely declined the third, insisting that I was already taken.

Er, not by that eleven-year-old girl I kissed then abandoned live on TV. Oh man, she was going to kill me.

Anyway, the boat arrived in Vermillion City about five days. I made a dash for one of the bike stores and paid an excessive amount of money for one, glad that I had managed to make it out of there without someone asking me some stupid question about my victory. Quick as a flash I was on the bike with Pikachu in the basket on the front, and I was peddling like mad towards my destination. Of course I had to stop and ask for directions seven times. I couldn't afford to get lost… although somehow I still managed it.

On the eighth day I finally reached Cerulean City. I was a total mess, having had no more than six hours sleep in the three days since I left Vermillion. My clothes were stinking, my face muddy, my stomach rumbling and I couldn't feel my ass from cycling for so long. But I'd made it, and that was all that mattered.

When I reached the Cerulean City gym I burst in through the front door, an eager Pikachu at my side and my Muk, having let itself out of its Poke-ball, was almost certainly now eating the bike.

Misty's sisters were training in the pool. They looked a little surprised to see me. I demanded to know where Misty was.

"Like, didn't you get our message?" one of them asked. "We left it with your Mom. Misty's like, totally been in the hospital for like, a week."

The news hit me like Snorlax hit a buffet. The three explained to me what had happened. Some trainer had come in one morning to challenge Misty to a battle. He'd used an Electabuzz, but hadn't been able to control it. Then thing went mental, and the electricity combined with all the water resulted in a huge accident.

That was how I came to be here. I didn't like people hospitals. There wasn't the same comforting face of Nurse Joy. Instead there were all these solemn looking people in coats, telling me that Misty hadn't regained consciousness all week. And unlike Nurse Joy, who'd always seemed so sure of everything, all the doctors did was shrug whenever I asked if they knew when she'd wake up.

I didn't have the heart to ask if she might never wake up.

I spent the first night in a chair at her bedside. The next morning my mom arrived with Tracey and Professor Oak. Apparently Daisy had called them to say I'd arrived, and the trio had rushed from Pallet Town to check on me. My mom then insisted that she take me to a hotel to get me cleaned up after my ordeal, and eventually I caved, but not before making Tracey promise to tell me if anything happened.

After that my mom consented to letting me stay with Misty during the day provided I go back to the hotel at night.

It was hard staying there with only Misty's steady breathing and the heart monitor making much of a sound, but Pikachu had tried to cheer me up every now and again. So most of the time I talked to Misty, and told her all about my travelling since we last met. Although she'd probably already heard most of it from when Brock and me phoned her, she didn't interrupt me at all, so I assumed she was enjoying it.

Okay, that was in poor taste. I'll admit it.

I left out the part where Dawn kissed me and then I came here to confess my everlasting love for her. Although if I did the maths right then Misty would probably have seen the final battle on TV the night before she was injured. I wondered briefly if what she saw may have had anything to do with it.

Then there were the visitors. At the start they'd tried talking to me, but when I wasn't very responsive they gave up. Tracey stopped by three times a day, although according to Oak he was spending even more time at the gym with Daisy. The three sisters came by whenever they could, although they were training for a big show at the time so they didn't have much time to spare. At first I was angry with them for not cancelling their show when their sister was hurt, but later it hit me.

I hadn't had the heart to ask the doctors if Misty might never wake up. However the sisters probably had asked… And with the answer they'd gotten, they'd decided to go on with their lives.

But how could I ever get on with my life now? Not now that I knew. I should have known all along, but it had taken another girl… Dawn… to make me see it. What I'd been blind to for so long, yet somehow everyone else had seen.

I'm not good at the gushy stuff, but I loved this girl.

My mom and Oak stopped by as often as they could as well, though Oak said after a few days that he'd have to get back to his lab, as he was certain Gary couldn't handle it all on his own. That just left my mom. I had no idea where she went during the days, but still she came by with some sandwiches every so often, just to make sure I got something to eat.

Then, after a horrifying week of nothingness, Brock and Dawn came.

Dawn had just stood stiffly to one side. She hadn't really known Misty, but it was me she was furious with for leaving her. Brock was also a little angry with me, but he seemed to quickly get over it.

"I'm going to go see my family for a few days," Brock explained. "I'll take Dawn with me." Dawn merely nodded in acknowledgment. I got up to apologise, but she just slapped me and stormed out.

Now there were three. Me, Pikachu… and Misty.

As I said, I'm not good at the gushy stuff, but here goes nothing.

_Misty… that was Dawn. You know, the girl I… Anyway, I ought to say what I came to say, even if you can't here it. Dawn kissed me, I had no idea she was going to do it. Brock must have known. And I'm a little angry with him for not talking her out of it, but I know he would have tried his best. But, while I was kissing this girl in front of all those people, it was then I realised what was missing… You were missing Misty. And I don't know if you can hear this, but I hope you can… I-I…_

Well, what am I supposed to do now? I was building up to the big climax. Now what?

_I love you…_

Nothing.

That's probably the hottest girl in a coma to ever reject me.

I was just about to pray that no one had heard that when there was an excited squeal from the door and May came bursting in, tears rolling down her cheeks and ripping me out of the seat to give me a hug.

"Oh Ash! That's so sweet!"

I tried to shush her, though I don't know why seeing as it would have been a good thing to wake Misty up, but I settled for dragging her out of the room to where a disgruntled Max was waiting.

_What are you doing here?_ I asked.

"Ohbrockphonedustosaymistywashurtandyouwereupsetandnowiknowwhybecauseyourinloveand ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh it's so cute!" May squealed.

_Come again?_

"Brock phoned us to say Misty was hurt and you were upset and now I know why because you're in love and ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh it's so cute!" Max translated only not really putting his heart into the ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh bit.

"My little Ashy-boy's growing up!" May said in delight and clapping her hands together. I could feel my face growing hot. Apparently Pikachu noticed this, because he brought me a cup of water from somewhere.

"May, calm down."

"Oh but it's so romantic! It's like Misty is Sleeping Beauty and Ash is Prince Charming and he's going to kiss her to wake her up!"

_Believe me it'll take more than a kiss to wake her up._

I explained what had happened to them, and suddenly May didn't look quite so happy anymore. I felt bad for ruining her good mood.

"Do you need us to stay with you?"

_No, it's alright. You guys should worry about finding a hotel if you're going to be staying._

When they'd left I returned to the room.

I looked at her. Sleeping Beauty May had said. Yes, she was. I was about to sit down again when I thought about what else May had said.

Come to think of it, it wasn't as though anyone had tried kissing her. And you could never tell until you tried.

There was a long, awkward moment as I thought about how to do this. I knew it was silly and it would probably never work, but I had to try it. Slowly, I took off my hat. Then, I thought again, and replaced the hat, this time turning it backwards like I always did before a Pokemon battle. Why change the habits of a lifetime anyway?

Then, I positioned myself to Misty's left. That didn't seem right, so I went around the other side. I wasn't sure about that, so I went back to my first position. First instinct. Yeah, that was the way to go.

I leaned over her, unsure what to do next. I didn't exactly do this often and I wasn't sure whether a quick peck on the lips would do or what.

Plus, I was hardly Prince Charming was I? I was loud. I was rude. And I ate like a pig and belched loudly in front of girls.

I gripped onto the side of her bed for support, certain that I might faint if I let go. As the bed rattled from my shaking, I leant down and our lips lightly touched.

Oh come on Ash, be a man!

So I kissed her again, harder this time, feeling more sure of myself. After a few moments I pulled back.

She hadn't moved an inch.

Well what had I expected? That she would leap up out of the bed, proclaim, "I love you too!" and I'd take her in my arms and carry her off into the sunset where we'd raise our children on a farm of Pokemon and spend the rest of our days in eternal bliss.

I my eyes grow moist and I realised that that was exactly what I expected, and everything I wanted.

And so, like a man, I dropped to my knees and cried. Grasping her hand as though if I let go I would die I cried as hard as I ever had. I cried for my lost dreams that were taken away from me just as I thought they could be real.

"Ash, stop that. I'm trying to sleep here."

For a moment I thought I'd passed out and I was dreaming, or surely I was imagining things. But I hadn't. Misty had spoken, and now she was looking at me through bleary eyes.

_You're awake_! I shouted. And to Misty's apparent surprise I was on my feet in a flash and hugging her tightly.

When I finally let her go, she turned to me and said,

"Right Mister, I saw what happened at the Sinnoh Championships and you've got some explaining to do!"

I managed to splutter out my speech from earlier. Someone in the corridor was making a lot of noise (apparently May never really left) but I tried to cut her out.

"You're not good at the gushy stuff," Misty said.

Tell me about it.

"Although I have a confession. I've been awake for a while now. And it turns out you're good at another part." I was about to ask what when she grabbed a hold of my shirt and pulled me in for another kiss.

_Since when?_ I asked after she had broken the kiss.

"Since May started screaming."

May! I could kiss her. Although it'd probably be better if I didn't seeing as I'd already kissed two of my female travelling companions.

_So how do you feel?_ I asked.

"Like I haven't peed in a week."

Actually, two.

Yes, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. But that doesn't mean it didn't turn out for the best. After all, I was here with the girl of my dreams. I mean, preferably I'd have taken her out on some romantic evening for our first kiss, and May wouldn't be floating around outside with one ear pressed against the door, but it could've been worse. And for the rest of my life I'll remember that crushing feeling and the fear I felt at that one moment that I thought I'd lost her.

And I'll do whatever I can not to lose her again.


End file.
